What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic

UN Climate Week 2019

In September, The United Nations 2019 Climate Summit will convene on the theme, ‘A Race We can Win. A Race We Must Win.’

It will seek to challenge states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens to step up action on reducing emissions and building the low carbon economy at scale.

New York Climate Week is a key summit in the international calendar, where delegates from various businesses and organisations gather to showcase and discuss climate initiatives. Therefore, Arctic Basecamp scientists will be in New York to make the irrefutable case that the world needs to scale up bold climate action now.
Climate Action Summit

Why does the Arctic matter?

The Arctic is the poster child for the need to stay below the +1.5C emissions target, and it’s warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Climate Research shows a strong and direct correlation with rising CO2 emissions and loss of Arctic ice. Science shows that the Arctic is the barometer of global risk — what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay there. Research shows that Arctic change is linked rapid Arctic warming to extreme weather farther south. Be it frigid cold spells, prolonged floods, persistent warmth, or long dry spells.

Every mid-September, the Arctic summer sea ice melts to its lowest point. Currently, the Arctic ice is tracking at an all-time low. Greenland is melting significantly and Arctic peatland fires are raging. This is a worrying sign of climate change. All of the data show that the Arctic is in crisis – this large system has entered an ‘unprecedented state’.

‘What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay there!’